Chapter 114: Watching the Meat-Chopping Duo Is Like Watching a Show

After dinner, the villagers gradually came to the Ji family to collect their pork portions.

This time, hardly anyone was buying extra meat. With the New Year approaching, around seventy percent of the village families were preparing to slaughter their own pigs. They’d salt-cure some of it into preserved meat, while the rest would be seasoned with a bit of salt, deep-fried, and stored in clay pots. Carefully rationed, that single pig would provide meat for the entire year.

Once the villagers had taken their portions, the Ji and Xiang families got busy.

Everyone knew that the meat from a pig’s neck wasn’t particularly tender, but it worked well for making sausage.

With a smile, Xiang Xinyao called out, “Sister Chunhua, please clean the offal first. I’ll cut up some meat for the sausages.”

Ji Chunhua nodded with a grin. “Got it! I’ll go clean it now.”

Xinyao continued her instructions, “Big Brother Ji and Third Brother Ji, you handle the fatty meat and lard. Uncle, prepare the meat for curing. Fifth Brother Ji, take the bones off and chop a few big ones for making broth. Auntie, you and I will start chopping the meat for sausages. Everyone else, help out wherever you can. Let’s get to work!”

Big Brother Ji clapped his hands. “Let’s get moving—lots to do!”

Uncle Ji stood up, “I’ll go sharpen the knives. A sharp blade makes for quicker cutting.”

Xinyao hoisted the pig’s neck onto the long wooden table and grabbed a knife to start slicing. The others quickly found their tasks as well.

The Xiang family and Mo Jinnan, who’d never experienced butchering a pig, weren’t quite sure where to help.

Mo Jinnan asked, “What should I do?”

Xinyao thought for a moment. “Why don’t you pull some radishes from the field for the bone broth?”

“Where’s the radish patch?”

Madam Xiang spoke up, “I know where it is—I’ll go pull some.”

Xiang Taifu quickly added, “I’ll go with you, dear.”

With that, he grabbed the vegetable basket and left the courtyard with her.

Mo Jinnan’s lips twitched. “Is there anything else I can do?”

Xinyao chuckled. “Take a look around! If you think you can handle anything we’re doing, go for it.”

Mo Jinnan scanned the area and decided that chopping fatty meat, like Big Brother Ji and Third Brother Ji were doing, looked manageable. He rolled up his sleeves and walked over.

Big Brother Ji hesitated. “Fatty meat and lard are tricky to chop—maybe try something else?”

Mo Jinnan answered calmly, “I’ve got this.”

With that, he picked up a cleaver and began cutting the fatty meat, mimicking the brothers’ technique.

In the next moment, both Big Brother Ji and Third Brother Ji were dumbfounded.

Mo Jinnan wielded the cleaver like a blade, slicing through the fat without using his left hand to steady the meat. He lifted the cleaver in his right hand and brought it down with rhythmic “thud-thud-thuds,” turning the meat into uniform small cubes. Each piece was cleanly cut with no scraps attached, and with a swift swipe of his cleaver across the cutting board, the diced meat fell neatly into the lard basin.

Third Brother Ji gave a thumbs-up. “That knife skill—I’m impressed.”

Big Brother Ji chimed in, “Me too.”

“Thud-thud-thud… thud-thud-thud… swipe…”

Mo Jinnan’s speed was lightning fast.

Third Brother Ji said, “I’ll go start the fire to render the lard.”

Putting down his cleaver, he headed to the kitchen.

Watching this, Xiang Yanlin rolled up his sleeves, picked up the cleaver Third Brother Ji left, and started chopping fat, following Mo Jinnan’s example. It was more chopping than slicing, really.

Big Brother Ji suddenly felt a bit unnecessary, so he put down his cleaver too. “I’ll chop the big bones for the broth.”

He grabbed a cleaver and went to help Fifth Brother Ji with the bones.

Meanwhile, Xiang Yanzhuo and Xiang Yanchen quietly headed over to join Uncle Ji.

Xiang Xinyu glanced at Xiang Xinyao, then at Uncle Ji, who was sharpening the knife, and rolled up her sleeves.

When Uncle Ji finished sharpening, she took the cleaver and moved beside Xinyao, asking her to teach her how to cut meat.

Xinyao smiled. “Sister, let me trim these pieces down a bit, remove the bones and skin, then I’ll show you how.”

“Alright, you teach me,” Xinyu replied eagerly.

“No problem.”

Xinyao trimmed the neck meat into pieces a bit larger than her palm, removed the skin and bones, then began to show Xinyu the proper technique.

After watching her younger sister cut a few pieces, Xinyu confidently grabbed a chunk of pork and started cutting.

Seeing Xinyu’s clumsy technique, Xinyao’s heart nearly jumped into her throat.

“Take it slow, Sister; the knife’s sharp, so be careful!”

“I know, I’ll be careful,” Xinyu assured, though Xinyao kept glancing over nervously.

As Xinyao watched, her worry grew. She was terrified that her sister might accidentally slice her finger.

“Maybe you should slow down even more… or maybe you should let me do it. Watching you handle that cleaver is giving me anxiety.”

Xinyu shook her head, determined. “No, I want to learn! Don’t worry; I’ll be careful and practice slowly.”

“Alright, just go slow and keep safety first.”

“Got it.”

Despite her slow pace, Xinyu managed to avoid cutting herself. However, with the chilly weather, the pig fat coating her hands felt uncomfortable.

This was her first time cutting pork, so it was natural to feel that way.

Meanwhile, Mo Jinnan and Xiang Yanlin were working at impressive speeds. They managed to chop the fat and lard with such ease because they used internal energy to steady the cleaver, keeping it fast and stable without splintering the chopping board.

Third Brother Ji, after lighting the fire in the stove pit, gave the large pot another rinse, added water, and put the chopped fat and lard into the pot to render.

After finishing with the fat and lard, Mo Jinnan and Xiang Yanlin joined Xinyao to chop the meat strips. When it was time to slice, they held their cleavers horizontally and then vertically, creating perfectly uniform meat strips.

Watching the two of them chop meat was like watching a juggling act.

Xinyu stood there, wide-eyed, clutching her cleaver, unsure whether she should keep cutting or just stand back.

Once Xinyao finished trimming off the skin and bones, she also set aside a generous portion of lean meat, cutting it into large pieces for Mo Jinnan and Xiang Yanlin to slice into strips.

With all the meat prepared for the sausage stuffing, they piled it into a large wooden basin. Since the meat needed to be seasoned, Xinyao didn’t wash her hands. Instead, she had her mother add the seasonings while she directed the quantities and types.

Once the meat was mixed and left to marinate, Xinyao took Xinyu with her to slice meat for tonight’s stir-fry dish.

Soon, an enticing aroma started wafting from the pot of rendered lard. Since the wild boar had been fed with spiritual spring water, the fragrance was even richer than that of regular farm-raised pork.

Xinyu inhaled deeply. “Sister, this smells so good—I can’t wait to taste it!”

Xinyao took a whiff as well. “It does smell amazing, but we’ll have to be patient. Once the lard’s done, we’ll sprinkle some salt on the cracklings and eat them by hand—that’s the real treat.”

Xinyu looked puzzled. “Why not use chopsticks?”

Xinyao chuckled, “Just wait until you experience the joy of licking your fingers—you’ll see.”